What Antivirus software do you think is best?

[MuffDiver]

I currently use McAfee Total Protection and a separate product for a VPN. I protect 3 devices. I'm starting to tire of McAfee due to the system resources it ties up and now that I am nearing a renewal, I get this invasive message every so often. The first was more than 90 days out. Unless I am getting a discount, why would I want to pay you early to renew? I'll renew a few days before expiry.

To escape this message, you have no choice to choose one of the two options. There is no option to just close it nor does the escape button work, so I click "Accept risk" as it is the fastest option to clear this interruption. What risk? There is no risk - I have paid protection for 50+ more days?

I wanted to post publicly to their Facebook page, but they don't seem to allow that. To me, this is is downright sleazy and is having the opposite effect of me actually renewing. Now I am considering another product and reading online product reviews for BitDefender, Kapersky and Trend Micro. Will not do Norton again, so that is out. I want protection, the ability to open ports as needed and maybe even a VPN, so I would would replace my current VPN option when it expires.

 

[WoodPeckr]

I currently use McAfee Total Protection and a separate product for a VPN. I protect 3 devices. I'm starting to tire of McAfee due to the system resources it ties up and now that I am nearing a renewal, I get this invasive message every so often. The first was more than 90 days out. Unless I am getting a discount, why would I want to pay you early to renew? I'll renew a few days before expiry.

To escape this message, you have no choice to choose one of the two options. There is no option to just close it nor does the escape button work, so I click "Accept risk" as it is the fastest option to clear this interruption. What risk? There is no risk - I have paid protection for 50+ more days?

They all post those annoying invasive messages when your AV is about to expire. When you buy a new PC with a 30 day 'free trial' AV, those annoying invasive messages begin immediately...lol

Just Google for the best rated AV nowadays to see what is best to get. Not sure who is rated number 1 today. Years ago when I needed an AV, free Avast was rated just as good as Norton which back then was rated number 1, so went with Avast and never had any problems. The only time I had any issues was when using McAfee which I dumped for Free Avast.

FWIW, I run Linux now so need no AV. Been running Linux since 2007 with no AV and never had as issues whatsoever so far, knock on wood.
Linux security is rock solid and is more stable than Windows and Mac and IMHO about as easy to pick up/learn as the Mac OS.

 

[MuffDiver]

They all post those annoying invasive messages when your AV is about to expire. When you buy a new PC with a 30 day 'free trial' AV, those annoying invasive messages begin immediately...lol

Just Google for the best rated AV nowadays to see what is best to get. Not sure who is rated number 1 today. Years ago when I needed an AV, free Avast was rated just as good as Norton which back then was rated number 1, so went with Avast and never had any problems. The only time I had any issues was when using McAfee which I dumped for Free Avast.

FWIW, I run Linux now so need no AV. Been running Linux since 2007 with no AV and never had as issues whatsoever so far, knock on wood.
Linux security is rock solid and is more stable than Windows and Mac and IMHO about as easy to pick up/learn as the Mac OS.

Thanks! It's not so much the ad, it's the "Accept risk". There is no risk. I already have a paid subscription. "Accept risk" is 100% incorrect.

I already Googled antivirus, which is why I mentioned BitDefender, Kapersky and Trend Micro as possible replacements. I'll check out Avast. I have free Malware Malbytes on a USB key, so I may check them out again.

Linux is not an option for me. I have no interest in having to invest time to learn how to make my existing software work on Linux. Some of my software is quite specialized.

 

[MuffDiver]

I've been using no AV on windows for about 9 years. They are just a waste of system resources imo.
If you are aware of the sites you visit and don't download random software viruses/malware is pretty easy to avoid.
Addons can help like an adblocker uBlock Origin, and uMatrix can help stop some javascript from executing, both are available for chrome and firefox based browsers. The Brave browser also has many secuirty, privacy features at default.

uBlock Origin

Finally, an efficient blocker. Easy on CPU and memory.

chrome.google.com

uMatrix

Point & click to forbid/allow any class of requests made by your browser. Use it to block scripts, iframes, ads, facebook, etc.

chrome.google.com

Secure, Fast, & Private Web Browser with Adblocker | Brave

The Brave browser is a fast, private and secure web browser for PC, Mac and mobile. Download now to enjoy a faster ad-free browsing experience that saves data and battery life by blocking tracking software.

brave.com

Otherwise using linux is a great option, many people only use computers to browse the internet, including some basic word processing like google docs or office365 online.

Thanks for the tips. I do have uBlock as a Chrome extension and love it. I do download files almost every day, so I would want an AV tool as well, just in case. It has caught some things for me.

I have specialized obscure software on my machines, as well as MySQL, dBeaver, MSSQL, Power Automate and Power BI, so trying to get all that working with Linux would be too time consuming for me. I'm already spending too much time online for work and online training. I use my computer for so much more than email and web browsing.

 

[WoodPeckr]

I'll check out Avast. I have free Malware Malbytes on a USB key, so I may check them out again.

When I used Windows, Avast, free Malwarebytes and free CCleaner was all that was used. CCleaner is great for cleaning up all the crap that accumulates from just running Windows.

 

[bver_hunter]

I have used all different types of antivirus software over the years. But now I am sticking with Bitdefender. Works very well and purchased a three year bundle for the price of one during the Boxing Day sale at Best Buy. They even have their own VPN in conjunction with Hotspot Shield. The only negative about this VPN is that it does not support any Android devices such as Raspberry Pi's Kodi.

 

[LTO_3]

Just saw this thread. I've used Avast, Malwarebytes, CCleaner and Spywareblaster. The last one has been quite good at picking up some stuff missed by the previous three. Another one to consider that's similar to CCleaner is Wisecare365. I've recently tried it and it seems comparable to CCleaner.

LTO_3

 

[WoodPeckr]

BleachBit is another one similar to CCLeaner. Works great and is free.

Clean Your System and Free Disk Space | BleachBit

When your computer is getting full, BleachBit quickly frees disk space. When your information is only your business, BleachBit guards your privacy. With BleachBit you can free cache, delete cookies, clear Internet history, shred temporary files, delete logs, and discard junk you didn't know was there. Designed for Linux and Windows systems, it wipes clean thousands of applications including Firefox, Adobe Flash, Google Chrome, Opera, and more. Beyond simply deleting files, BleachBit includes advanced features such as shredding files to prevent recovery, wiping free disk space to hide traces of files deleted by other applications, and vacuuming Firefox to make it faster. Better than free, BleachBit is open source.

 

[bver_hunter]

Here are the ratings for the Antivirus:

Best Antivirus Software for 2024

Compare top-rated anti-virus software so you can start protecting all of your devices from spyware, malware, ransomware and other malicious programs.

www.safetydetective.com

 

[canada-man]

I use Norton

 

[brewwguy]

AV software is still a thing? TBH I can't remember what decade it was since Iast used an AV program other than what's built into the OS. FWIW I have 7 windows based machines, a Linux system, and an iOS for when my daughter is here. In the past 30 years of using a lot of computers I could count on one hand the amount of times I actively had to deal with a virus. If it's something a quick downloadable program can't clean out I just nuke the OS and reinstall fresh which I can do in under 90 minutes including my main apps. This also has the added benefit of making things feel cleaner and snappier too. I really can't recommend any of them since it's years inbetween needing any but I can whole heartedly recommend to avoid the likes of Norton and McAffee, theyre the definition of bloatware and don't do much other than bog your sytem down.

My advice is to not use any AV software and have a good back up plan (preferably something that's real time and off site) which protects against hardware failures as well. If something mucks with your system just wipe it out.